Biography:
Mwalim (Morgan James Peters) is a Black Wampanoag performing artist, writer, educator and filmmaker. Born in the Bronx, NY and raised in both the Bronx and Mashpee, MA, Mwalim was immersed in the oral traditions of both his Bajan (Barbados) mother and Mashpee Wampanoag father.
Emerging on the east-coast spoken-word scene in the early 1990's as a storyteller, performance poet and theater artist, Mwalim's work is known throughout the USA, Canada, the UK and the Caribbean. A contributor to numerous edited volumes and periodicals, Mwalim is the author of one short fiction collection, A Mixed Medicine Bag (2007, Talking Drum Press) and over 25 plays, and several sound recordings. His latest CD, The Liberation Sessions features collaborations with a host of A-List artists. He is a tenured Associate Professor of English and African/ African American Studies at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth.
Related Podcasts & Events:
Valley park groove
The streets vibrate with a pulse and a thud…Valley Park greets the rising sunIt could be the heartbeat of the universeMulti-colored swings, ball courts, bicycle paths, and an outdoor poolValley Park comes aliveIt’s called a grooveA grooveTo the sound of the trucks making deliveriesAnd the streets that come alive in the morningMy landscapeThis is my world of the rising sunThe sound, the sound, the soundOf a Valley Park morningIt’s called a grooveA grooveOr is it just plain old background noise?When you live in a circleAll things repeat themselvesThere is still variationAnd contradictionIn it’s uniformityThis contradiction within uniformity It’s called a grooveA grooveValley Park is aliveMy first breath came after I entered the lightEach time I enter a new light, I breathe for the first timeMy heart-beat came long before I could seeI had life before I could liveWhen a child is bornThe elders will sayThat an ancestor has returnedAnd the sun shall riseOver Valley ParkIt’s called a grooveA grooveMy connection to the earth is like no otherBut all life can spring from the earthAnd be sustained by her bountyBut that is only half of what makes you who you areLook for the rest in the spirits of the skiesOver Valley ParkIt’s called a grooveA grooveWhen everything is moving, it gives the illusion that everything is standing stillbeauty evolves from the mistakes that we maketrying to repeat our past perfectionsand this contradictionis what we call a groove(c) 2008, MJ Peters. All Rights Reserved
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